How to Turn Off Photography Sound on Xiaomi: All Ways (Including Hidden)

Clicking the shutter when shooting on Xiaomi smartphones can be a real problem, whether it’s an important event that requires silence, or the desire to take a hidden picture. Despite the fact that the manufacturer leaves this sound by default (sometimes due to legal requirements in some countries), it can be removed. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways, from standard settings to hidden functions of the engineering menu and circumventing restrictions through ADB.

It’s important to understand that on some models (especially in Japan, Korea or the US), the shutter sound may be blocked at the firmware level, which will require additional manipulation. We have tested all methods on devices with MIUI 12-14 and Android 10-14, including the Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5. If your model is older than 2018, some points may not work – we will warn you about this in advance.

Why can’t Xiaomi just turn off the camera sound?

In most countries in Europe and Asia, manufacturers are not required to leave the shutter sound — it can be turned off manually. However, in some regions (such as Japan or South Korea), laws require an audible signal when taking photos to prevent hidden photography. Xiaomi releases firmware to meet these requirements, so:

• 📱 On the global versions MIUI (for example, MIUI Global) sound is usually turned off through settings.
• 🇯🇵 On Japanese or Korean firmware (MIUI JP/KR) may be required ADB root-access.
• 🔧 Some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi) A2 With pure Android, sound is controlled through standard Android settings.

Another reason is safety, because the sound of the shutter signals that someone is taking a picture, which reduces the risk of unauthorized photography, but for personal use, it is often just an annoyance.

Method 1: Disconnect via standard camera settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in Camera app options. It works on most modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with MIUI 12 and later:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Touch the badge. ⚙️ Settings (usually in the upper right corner).
3. Scroll down to the Sounds (or Camera Sounds) section.
4. Turn off the switch next to Shutter Sound or Camera Sound.

If you don't have one, your firmware doesn't support turning off the audio through the menu, so move on to the following ways.

Make sure you have a global firmware (MIUI Global)

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Update the Camera app through Play Market

- Restart your phone before changing your settings-->

Method 2: Use the "No Sound" or "Do Not Disturb" mode

If the camera settings do not have an option to turn off the sound, you can use the system functions of Android:

• 🔇 No Sound Mode: Put your phone into silent mode with a physical volume button, and in most cases, it will also turn off the shutter sound.
• 🛡️ «Do Not Disturb: Activate this mode in the notification curtain or through Settings → Sound. → Don't disturb. Choose the No Sound option.

Note that on some models (e.g. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite), the shutter sound can be played even in silent mode.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Camera (GCam) instead of the standard app, shutter sound can be controlled separately. → Shutter sound and turn it off there.

Method 3: Engineering menu (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work, you can try turning off the sound through an engineering menu, which is suitable for Qualcomm Snapdragon devices (most Xiaomi and Redmi models), and on MediaTek processors (e.g. Redmi 9A), the engineering menu may not contain the necessary options.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the code: ##36446337## This will open the EngineerMode (engineering menu).
2. Go to the Hardware Testing → Audio section.
3. Find the Camera Shutter Sound (or similar) setting and set the Disable value.
4. Save the settings and restart the phone.

If the code doesn’t work, try an alternative for MIUI:

##4636##

⚠️ Warning: Do not change other options on the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose.

Method 4: Disabling audio via ADB (no root rights)

If previous methods have not worked, you can use them. ADB-This is the official Android tool, which doesn't require root access, but it requires you to connect your phone to your computer.

Steps:

1. Turn on USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode). Then: Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging on USB.
2. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
3. Open the command line (Windows) or the terminal (macOS/Linux) Enter: adb shell settings put global camera_shutter_sound_enabled 0
4. Reboot the phone.

To return the sound, use the same command, replacing 0 by 1.

💡

If ADB does not recognize the device, install Xiaomi USB Drivers from the official website or through the Mi PC Suite.

Method 5: Removing system sounds (requires root rights)

If none of these methods work, the radical solution is to manually remove the system sounds, which requires root access and can cause the phone to malfunction. Use them at your own risk.

Instructions:

1. Get root access (for example, through Magisk).
2. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
3. Go to /system/media/audio/ui/ or /system/product/media/audio/ui/
4. Find the files: camera_click.ogg, camera_focus.ogg, shutter.ogg and rename them (e.g., adding.bak at the end).
5. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Note: Deleting or renaming system files may cause the camera or other functions to malfunction.Before changing, back up the folder /system/media/audio/ui/.

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If after removing the sounds, the camera stopped working, restore the original files or reset settings through Settings → Reset settings.

What if the sound is still there?

If none of these methods worked, the following reasons are possible:

• 📵 Your firmware is rigidly tied to the shutter sound (relevant to the Japanese or Korean versions of Xiaomi). MIUI Global.
• 🔄 After updating MIUI Repeat the actions from the selected method.
• 🎵 The shutter sound is built into the Camera app itself. Try using third-party cameras (like Open Camera or ProCam X).

If you are willing to go to extreme measures, you can consider:

• 🛠️ Install custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience) where shutter sound is turned off by default.
• 🔊 Using an external microphone with the speaker turned off (suitable for professional shooting).

FAQ: Frequent questions about camera sound on Xiaomi